All set!

I'm finally headed out. Sunny skies and temps up into the 70s in the plains this weekend. Driving down to Denver tonight then hitting the bike path in the morning. I hope to spend tomorrow night outside Greeley.

Bike tv

If you're interested in what I'm bringing along on this trip, here is a list. I'd like to shave weight, but I can't think of anything to leave out right now. I'll probably be at the post office soon, mailing stuff home.

Bike
Rans Stratus
Windwrap fairing
Schwalbe Marathon tires
Angletech/Planet Bike fenders
Angletech Techwind seat bag and side panniers
Arkel RT-60 underseat panniers
Dinotte taillight -- super duper bright
Cateye taillight -- hey, gotta be seen
BeSeenWear flag -- ditto
Trek LED front light
ClimMitts
Liberally applied reflective tape
2 bladder bags, 2 water bottles (with duct tape and electrical tape wrapped around them)

Shelter
Sierra Designs Sirius 2 tent
Pacific Outdoor Insul-Mat
Mountain Hard Wear Clouds Rest 5 degree down sleeping bag
Small emergency space blanket
Slumberjack camp pillow

Food
Jetboil stove
4 deheydrated pouch meals -- hope to find a grocery
Peanut butter (Jif Extra Crunchy) & jelly (Grape) & bread
Tea (chamomile and blueberry), coffee (Folger's crystals), Splenda
Plastic fork and knife
Iodine tablets
Fold-up sink
Lighter

Tools
Spare brake and derailleur cables
Pump & patch kit
3 innertubes
2 tires (different sizes)
Chain break tool
Gerber multitool
Allen wrench multitool
Some twine
3 Hefty bags
Headlamp
Chain oil

Personal
Sunblock and lip balm
Toilet paper
Deodorant/toothbrush/toothpaste/floss
Small towel
Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap
Copenhagen Long Cut
First aid: tape, pads, gauze, Aleve, moleskin, Band-Aids
Hand sanitizer

Entertainment
Sirius Stiletto satellite radio + extra batteries and charger
HP iPaq Pocket PC w/ GPS / wireless + batteries + charger
Think Outside foldable bluetooth keyboard
Digital camera

audiobooks on sim cards:
Patrick O'Brien, Aubrey-Maturin (Master & Commander) complete series
Martin Dugard, Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone
Stephen Ambrose, Undaunted Courage
Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy complete series
Mortenson and Relin, Three Cups of Tea

Clothes
Sidi Dominator bike shoes
Lightweight walking around hiking shoes
3 pairs ski socks
Neoprene booties
Pearl Izumi thermal bike tights
Alpine Designs convertible zip-off pants
Synthetic base layer tights and shirt
Arm warmers / knee warmers
Synthetic North Face button-up shirt
Windstopper softshell jacket
Windstopper vest
Mountain Hard Wear shell
Sherpa hat
Balaclava
Helmet w/ cover
Winter work gloves
Glove liners
Sunglasses
2 cotton t-shirts, several boxers
Baseball cap

Maps
DeLorme Gazetteer sections from Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana
City bike maps of Omaha, Lincoln, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities

man, that's a lot of crap.

A lot of people have been asking me if I'm bringing a weapon on this trip. No joke. The bicycle forums are full of people who say that they never leave home without their machete/Taser/Glock/Mace. Thinking about it, I can't really see myself getting into a knife/gun fight. And I'm hoping that reports of roving meth-heads in Iowa are exaggerated. Hopefully I won't get overrun like in a zombie movie.

Me trying to get my fenders to line up right -- notice my roomy work/cook/sleep/shower space --

Well, I've come up with a departure date. I'm thinking about Monday, Oct. 27. I'll miss the last couple of days of my summer firefighting job but it's been pretty dull lately anyway. Plus, the sooner I take off, the sooner I can get back to start working on the ski mountain.

Hopefully the weather will be OK. I'm ignoring all the doom-filled predictions people are giving me about the weather. It's been nice here and I'm hoping reasonably cool fall temps will prevail. Better to ride across Nebraska when it's cold rather than when it's sweltering.

I got the bike a few days ago. I took it around the parking lot a few times and it was fun, although I couldn't really steer it very well. Hopefully in the next few weeks I can learn to ride it. It's raining and snowing this weekend in Vail though, so I probably won't take it out for a few more days.

Preparations continue. This weekend I was camping up in the mountains and found that my ThermaRest was pretty inadequate to insulate me from the ground. I'm going to try out one of those low tech egg-crate foam pads from Wal Mart. Today I'm going to get my maps in order. Finally got gazetteers from each state in the mail and am going to copy and then laminate the pages I need. Also, I haven't yet set up my tent to see if it works.